The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 24, June 12, 2005, Article 19

NOSE OIL OND OTHER NUMISMATIC ENHANCEMENTS

Katie Jaeger writes: "Dick Johnson wanted to know what equine
Nose Oil was for. You could put it on the rear end, Dick, but it's
supposed to go around the eyes and in amongst the braids of the
mane. It's meant to match the rhinestone-studded bridles and
gleaming silver decorations on the saddles. (The primary
consumers of groovy horsemanship accessories are girls
age 10-15).

There's another oil, called "show sheen" that gets applied to
the entire horse, to make his coat shine under the spotlights
in the ring. I have a friend who learned the hard way, you
do not put show sheen in the saddle area. As she galloped
around a sharp turn in during her first show, the saddle slid
around to the side and off she flew."

Steve Woodland writes: "As a horse owner, I got a chuckle
out of Dick Johnson's piece on Nose Oil. I was unaware of
the uses of human Nose Oil in numismatics, so I thank Dick
for pointing it out. However, as to the use of the commercial
brand of "Eye & Nose Oil" Dick found on the web, it is not
used for rubbing on a horse's derriere as Dick so tongue-in-
cheekly suggested. Rather, it is used to rub under a horse's
eyes and on its nose to make those areas appear uniformly
shiny, a feature that is seen favorably by the judges in horse
shows!

The numismatic use of nose oil begs the question of what
other interesting substances are used to enhance the appearance
of coins and currency? Aside from all the commercial chemical
dips that exist, I have heard of using olive oil, WD-40, soap
and water, and now human nose oil. Are E-Sylum readers up
to divulging their secrets on how to make their coins and
currency more appealing, or maybe just sharing stories they
heard from "the friend of a friend" about what people have
done to attempt to improve the look of their numismatic items?
Include funny or bizarre stories, successful ventures and disasters.
Let's hear from the audience, please! (I'm sure our Editor will
guarantee complete anonymity!)"

[Now that the term "curating" is around, there's less stigma
attached to coin doctoring than in the past. Some experts can
work wonders on a coin, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Some coins cry out for a little assistance in the beauty department.

Although I don't accept anonymous submissions, I will withhold
names on request and publish a submission anonymously if
desired. -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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